Contents

Emily Hughes was born in Great Neck, New York. Her father, John Hughes, is a Canadian of Irish descent,[1] and was the captain of the NCAA champion 1969–70 Cornell Universityice hockey team. Her mother, Amy Pastarnack, is Jewish[2] and is a breast cancer survivor. Hughes has supported a variety of causes for breast cancer research and awareness, including Skating for Life, a television special that she promoted on NBC's Today show.[3]

Hughes has five siblings. One of her older sisters, Sarah, is the 2002 Olympic champion. In December 2012, her older brother Matt, graduated from the police academy and is currently an NYPD officer. Her family has two dogs - Taz and Ty, though she prefers to play with Taz due to his energy and virile spirit.

Hughes qualified for her first U.S. Figure Skating Championships in the 2001–2002 season and placed 11th at the Junior level. She repeated that placement the following season. She placed 5th at the junior level at the 2003–2004 Eastern Sectional Championships and so did not qualify for the 2004 U.S. Championships.

In the 2007–2008 season, Hughes placed fourth at both her Grand Prix events. On January 15, 2008, it was announced that Hughes would not compete in the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships due to a hip injury that prevented her from training and competing.[11][12]

On January 19, 2009, Hughes announced her withdrawal from the 2009 United States Figure Skating Championships due to an ankle injury.[14] Later that year, Hughes took a semester off from Harvard in an attempt to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics.[1] She specifically noted she wanted to qualify for the 2010 games so she could experience the Opening Ceremony[2], something she missed in 2006 since she was a late replacement to the team. In January 2010, she placed 9th at the 2010 US Championships and did not qualify for the USA 2010 Winter Olympics team, which only had spots for two skaters.